


Breathless

by Mamacallie



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, ballet dancer Laurent, what am I doing here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-07-03
Packaged: 2018-07-18 03:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7297738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamacallie/pseuds/Mamacallie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An extended, reworking of my story Breathless Ballet</p><p>The first time Damen saw Laurent, he forgot how to breathe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who left me a kind word, and a kudos on Breathless Ballet. I hadn't written in a long time, and was really self-deprecating about my abilities and you all lifted my spirits! :) I promised to re-work and extend Ballet when I finished reading the whole series, so here we are! This will definitely be a multichapter fic, and when I finish this I hope you'll check out some original works I'll be posting as well! Thank you, and enjoy!
> 
> Come join the Captive Prince discord server I started! ---> ['A Kingdom Or This Discord Server'](https://discord.gg/BZNxZW5)

The first time Damen saw Laurent, he forgot how to breathe. He stood in the doorway to the studio, captivated by the dancer's movement. Warm, evening sunlight streamed through the un-curtained windows and glittered over his pale skin, his golden hair which sat - pinned - in a loose bun towards the nape of his slender neck. The music played soft and lilting, and his limbs moved gracefully in arcs and impossible extensions. Damen couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful in his life and stood, unable to move. That is until Laurent's elegant eyes landed on Damen during a turn and the blond stopped abruptly, his arms dropping to his sides as he straightened and his face, which had held a gentle expression til now, shuttered into an impossibly unreadable look. The music still trickled behind them, though the air it played through had changed. 

"Who are you?", he demanded. "What do you want?"

The bitterness edged Laurent's words, as innocuous as they were, like a dagger ready to cut. Damen felt the perfect, exquisite image of Laurent start to crack. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your practice.", Damen replied. 

"That's not an answer."

Damen looked at the figure before him, rigid in severity and so unlike the dancer he had been moments before, and a quiet second passed between them. Laurent arched an unamused eyebrow, silently saying "Well?".

"Damen.", he said finally. "I got lost looking for room 208, and had meant to ask you for directions but-"

"My incredible beauty distracted you?", Laurent said. Damen didn't answer. "Save it.", the blonde continued. "I've heard it before."

The cracks deepened and the picturesque visage Damen had so eagerly committed to memory began to sour. "Can you tell me how to get to room 208, then?"

"You're too late, it's locked. Everywhere is locked, by now. The building closes at 6."

"Then what are you doing here?", Damen pressed. "Are you special?"

"Yes."

 

Of course, Laurent had been right about 208 being locked. He'd been right about the whole building being locked, and the next day when Damen managed to get to class on time his teacher gave him an earful. He'd bent over backwards and jumped through hoops to be allowed in this class so late in the semester, the teacher had said angrily, and yet he couldn't be bothered to show up? Damen had apologized often, but it didn't change the view the instructor had of him. 

"Why did you even take this class?", his friend, Nik, asked with amusement. "You're a track star, what do you need art for?"

Damen shrugged. "I like it. Do I need a reason?"

Nik laughed at that, and said, "Are you hoping you'll secretly be very talented and can launch a career if you injure yourself?"

"I'm not as clumsy as you.", Damen replied with a grin. He'd been friends with Nik a long time, and it had been immensely lucky they had wound up at the same college. Truthfully, Damen had forgotten to take an elective and found he was just short of the hours needed to stay on the track team. It was also immensely lucky that this class had an opening, and he appreciated art. Nik knew it, of course, but took pleasure in teasing his friend. 

Class ended and they gathered their things, talking mundanely about what to do next. Study at the coffeehouse, maybe grab some dinner. The suggestions fell on deaf ears as they passed the dance studio and once again Damen found himself enthralled by the site he saw there. The hallway bustled loudly with students, laughter echoing here and there, but inside the room all was still save for the lone dancer, his entire body thrown into arches and flowing in effortless movement. As Laurent turned, his eyes met Damen's gaze as they had before, but only briefly as his dance continued. A moment later, all Damen saw was blonde hair.

"Damen?", Nik said, his voice worried. He put a hand on Damen's arm and looked into the room. "Damen, let's go. I'm hungry."

"What?", Damen started, coming back to himself. "Oh, right. Sorry, Nik."

They walked away from the studio. "Don't bother with him. He's a stone-cold bitch, and he hates everyone."

"You know him?", Damen asked.

"Everyone in the Fine Arts department knows him. He's a gifted ballet dancer and everyone kowtows to him because of it." Nik's voice was scournful.

"What's his name?" Damen found himself saying.

"No, Damen, I'm not going to enable your flirting this time. He's just going to humiliate you."

Damen chuckled as they walked, knowing Nik only had the best intentions. "I could always find out without you.", he pointed out, much to Nik's chagrin. 

A beat of silence, and then, "Laurent."

Laurent, Damen thought. A lilting and beautiful name. Nik sighed exasperatedly next to him. "This isn't going to end well, you know that?"

"We'll see."

 

Damen returned to the Arts building after he'd had a light dinner with Nik. He'd made up an excuse of forgetting something, but Nik knew better. He also knew he couldn't stop Damen. Through the empty halls, quiet music could be heard. Damen followed the sound to the studio, and as expected found Laurent dancing. The dance wasn't slow and deliberately graceful, instead exchanged for fast paced steps and movements that eloquently conveyed violence and emotion. Even in anger, though feigned for effect, Laurent remained ever beautiful and poised. Damen cleared his throat as he stood in the doorway and Laurent turned, wisps of hair escaped from his pin now floating next to his cheekbones and his chest almost imperceptibly rising and falling from the intensity of the dance. 

"Are you lost, still, or did you come here to try cheesy one liners on me again?"

"I never fed you a line.", Damen said with a small smile. "Besides, mine aren't cheesy."

Laurent scoffed, turning off the music and grabbing a towel to wipe his brow. "All lines are cheesy."

"You haven't heard mine."

There was a moment of silence as Laurent took a sip from a water bottle, his posture as straight as a rod. "Then give me one.", he said finally, unreadable blue eyes meeting Damen's coolly. 

He felt his heart flutter slightly, and Damen found he had two options. Deciding it better to feign confidence and say something amusing, he said, "Do you know CPR? Because watching you dance takes my breath away."

"That's possibly the worst pickup line I've ever heard.", Laurent said without missing a beat. "Does it get you laid often?"

With mock incredulity, Damen said, "Of course! I'm surprised it didn't work." He laughed and moved from the doorway, fully standing in the room. Laurent watched him, something untraceable passing over his face. 

"I didn't say that." 

With that, Laurent scooped up a small duffel bag, brushing past Damen towards the door. Damen watched him leave with a smile, stepping politely out of his way. He thought briefly that evening visits should become a habit.


	2. First Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spurred on by Laurent's ambiguous answer, Damen gets a little more brazen with his pursuit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone leaving comments and kudos! I'm happy people are enjoying what I'm putting out. I'm aiming for about 4-5 chapters by the time I'm finished, and I have some really cool original stuff in the works I'm going to start posting when I finish this! So if you like my writing style and could always use magical lesbians in your life, keep an eye out for that :D 
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter! The next one should be out soon ^u^

Like clockwork, Damen was at the dance studio every evening. Despite how their conversation on pick up lines had ended, Laurent still met Damen with the same coolly unreadable expression. There were subtle signs that Laurent didn't mind his presence during the practices, and Damen was happy that he picked up on them. Often they would sit and talk after Laurent's cooldowns, only getting up to leave long after the sun had set. They talked about any and everything Damen could think to talk about, though more often than not Laurent didn't reveal much about himself. It only made Damen more persistent and curious. 

There were other things, too. Laurent letting his guard drop occasionally, barely a fraction but enough for Damen's chest to soar with emotion. Each day, it seemed like Laurent slowly drew closer to Damen, allowing the runner almost imperceptibly into his personal space. Damen told himself he was merely treading carefully by not instigating affection, but he knew in reality Laurent made each move as if playing a mental chess game and that in the end, though he played a good game, Laurent would topple his king and win. It wasn't a terrible prospect at all, so Damen happily let Laurent control things. 

They had spent time in this manner for two weeks before Laurent let Damen touch him. It was unexpected, the music shut off abruptly and a satin clad foot gently pressed to the top of his knee before Damen could say anything. He looked at the foot and lifted his gaze to Laurent, who stared down, unfazed. "Need something?", Damen asked. 

"Attend me.", Laurent said, his face blank and voice deadpan. Damen laughed after a moment, leaning back in his seat and tossing his head back. Laurent stepped away.

"You don't have to laugh at me.", he said, surprisingly sounding huffy. Damen's laughter started to fade and he looked at Laurent, whose blonde brows knitted together and a slight frown graced his usual impassable expression, and grinned. 

"Do you get people to undress you often?", Damen asked, suppressing another laugh. 

Laurent narrowed his eyes. "No.", he said simply. He'd miscalculated. Damen, still smiling, moved his duffel bag out of the chair next to him and motioned for Laurent to sit down. Laurent didn't.

"Oh come on, sit down. Are you really mad at me for laughing?", he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Laurent finally moved to sit and Damen patted his knee. "Foot.", he said. Laurent raised a leg and rested his foot on Damen's knee again. 

"Is this how you usually flirt?", Damen asked as he unlaced the ribbons on Laurent's calf and pulled the pointe shoe off. He pressed his thumbs to the arc of Laurent's foot and massaged. 

"I don't usually flirt.", the blonde admitted, watching Damen's hands while they moved. 

"Ah, so you just don't know how.", he said, amused. Laurent shot him a glare again.

"I know how. I read."

"Reading and practicing are two different things. What have you been reading, low fantasy romances?", Damen asked. 

Laurent said nothing, propping his elbow on the back of the chair and resting his cheek in his palm. After a few seconds of silence he said, "Maybe."

Damen laughed again, and this time Laurent chuckled as well. "It was a bit ridiculous, wasn't it?", he asked with a small smile. 

"More than a bit.", Damen said. He pushed his thumbs up Laurent's foot with a smile. "But that's alright. I found it to be rather adorable."

Damen looked up from his ministrations in time to see the faint flush that spread over Laurent's cheeks. His face looked surprised, his lips parted and eyes marginally wider than usual. Damen met his eyes with fondness, an affectionate smile. The light from the sun cast Laurent in fading orange relief and Damen couldn't look away. 

"What?", Laurent asked quietly. 

"You're beautiful.", Damen replied. He momentarily worried he'd said something wrong, because Laurent's demeanor shuttered closed a second later. He pulled his foot away and took his other shoe off himself, replacing the shoes with simple flats. 

"That's enough.", Laurent said, shouldering his dance bag and readjusting the ponytail he'd thrown his hair into. 

Damen straightened in his seat, frowning. He wasn't used to people shutting down after compliments. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Laurent didn't say anything else, he just left Damen alone in the room. 

 

"I think I messed up.", Damen said later to Nik. They'd met up to study in the library, but Damen couldn't concentrate. He played the afternoon over in his mind, wondering what he did that upset Laurent. 

"Where? I might have already done that problem." Nik leaned over to look at Damen's workbook only to find it blank. "Well there's your problem, Damen. You haven't done any of the homework yet."

Damen shook his head. "With Laurent."

Nik groaned and closed his notebook. "Of course you messed up, I told you he's frigid. Nothing good was going to come from you flirting with him."

"That's the thing though, everything was fine. We've been having fun hanging out for a couple weeks now, I just don't know why he'd be upset by what I said."

"Damen.", Nik said, wary. "What did you say?"

"I told him he's beautiful and he just.. shut down and left. Does he not like compliments?" Damen rubbed his face and sighed heavily. 

"Maybe he doesn't like you.", Nik replied. He sounded almost hopeful. 

"We were flirting. And I was giving him a foot rub. Of course he likes me."

"Maybe your foot rub was subpar."

Damen laughed despite himself and shoved Nik's shoulder. "That's impossible."

Nik laughed too, and finally managed to get Damen to pay attention to their homework.

 

The next day, Damen surprised Laurent by being in the studio before him. He sat in a corner seat, scribbling in a sketchbook and looked up when Laurent walked in, grinning wide. 

"What are you doing here so early?", Laurent asked, dropping his duffel in it's usual place and sitting down to change shoes. 

"I thought it'd be nice. We could spend more time together.", Damen said. He closed the notebook and set it beside him. 

"I suppose."

Laurent walked to the handrail and began stretching silently. Damen quietly watched him for several minutes before he asked what he'd actually come here to ask. 

"What did I do wrong?"

Laurent stopped mid stretch, lifting his head from where it had laid against his leg. "What?"

"What did I do wrong? You left so abruptly yesterday. I thought you were mad." Damen stared at Laurent, his face open and honest. Laurent sighed and dropped his leg from the barre, gracefully moving into his next stretch. 

"I'm not mad.", he said. Damen scoffed. 

"Then why did you leave like that? If you were uncomfortable with me touching you, you could have said something."

"I wasn't uncomfortable." Laurent pivoted as he spoke, reaching down to touch his toes while his other leg extended into the air behind him. 

"Then what happened?" Damen wasn't given and answer, and he grew increasingly impatient. Standing up, he walked to Laurent and grabbed the blonde's wrist as he righted himself. "What happened?", he pressed.

Laurent's eyes narrowed at Damen's hand on his wrist and he pulled his arm away. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Laurent." Damen said his name firmly, his eyes clearly worried. "Tell me what I did wrong."

"Are you always so earnest with your feelings?", Laurent asked, refusing to look away from Damen despite wanting to dip his head, hide his face. 

"Are you not?"

They stared at each other for a while, not speaking. Finally, Laurent stepped away, pulling himself out of Damen's personal space. "I'm not very good at being honest about emotions."

"Is that why you left?"

"No." 

The silence between them was heavy. "If you don't want to t-"

"The last time someone told me I'm beautiful like that didn't end well for me."

Damen let the words sink in and he took another step closer to Laurent. "I'm not going to hurt you, Laurent."

"You can't stop me from being afraid."

Damen was unused to Laurent being so vulnerable. In the weeks they had known each other, Laurent had always been stoic and immovable. He had questioned he wanted to ask, but was unsure he wanted them answered. Carefully, Damen lifted his hand and tucked stray hairs behind Laurent's ear, his thumb running gently over Laurent's cheek. "Then I'll just have to prove it to you.", he said. Damen had never so strongly had the urge to kiss someone, but he shook the feeling off. 

"Is this alright?", he asked, his hand still on Laurent's cheek. 

"Yes.", Laurent said. Damen smiled, and they stood like that for several minutes before Laurent pulled away, saying he really needed to practice and couldn't spend the evening being coddled. Damen sat back down in his seat, pulling his sketchbook over and idly sketching Laurent as he danced, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bluh the ending could probably be better, but I couldn't get it to work for me. Let me know what you guys think :)


	3. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laurent agrees to a proper date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, we're closing in on the finish line! Sorry this chapter took longer to put out than the other one, but I promise the final chapter will be posted within the next few days! Thanks so much to everyone leaving comments and kudos, you guys rock and make writing so much fun!
> 
> Sorry this one is so much shorter! i hope you guys enjoy it ^u^

Damen sat outside the Arts building excitedly. He was early meeting Laurent, but he couldn't help it. Laurent had agreed to let Damen take him on an actual date, and Damen had a hard time hiding the grin that spread over his face when Laurent finally walked around the building. 

"You're late.", he said teasingly. Laurent didn't reply until he was standing at Damen's side, tugging gently on the sleeve of his turtle neck. Damen had never seen Laurent in anything but his dance clothes, and it seemed almost odd how the blonde dressed covered from chin to toe tip, but it fit his personality so perfectly Damen didn't dwell on it, especially since Laurent pulled the cold stuffy look off so well. 

"You're early.", Laurent said flatly. His hair was down, one side tucked neatly behind one of his ears. Another thing Damen was unused to, but found he enjoyed. 

"I got excited.", Damen admitted. Laurent gave him a slightly amused look as if to say "Of course you did." 

"What do you have planned for this date, then?", Laurent asked, looking around the parking lot to see if he could tell which car was Damen's. 

"I thought we could go to this cafe I know a little ways down town. There's live music tonight, and the food is good." Damen replied as he led Laurent to a black Fusion and opened the passenger door for him. "I have some other ideas, if you don't like that."

Climbing into the car, Laurent said, "Other ideas?"

"Of course." Damen went to the other side, sitting in the car and turning the key with a smile. "I thought it would be fun to go dancing. There's a swing club uptown, and thought maybe we could go there instead if you like. Unless of course you're only good at ballet.", he added with a smirk. 

"I'm plenty talented at other styles of dance.", Laurent said almost indignantly. Damen laughed as he drove them towards the entrance to campus. 

"Which way, your highness?", Damen asked. 

Laurent thought for a moment, weighing both options carefully. "Take me dancing."

Damen grinned as he turned towards uptown. "As you wish."

 

The swing club was loud, a stage in the back with a big brass band playing enthusiastically. Most of the patrons were dressed appropriately in 40s style clothes, and the dance floor was filled with couples dancing the jive. Damen found them a table near the midpoint of the room along the wall and sat down, his eyes glittering happily. "I haven't been dancing in a long time.", he said.

"I wasn't even aware you knew how.", Laurent said, eyeing Damen with a sidelong glance. 

"An old girlfriend enjoyed salsa and swing, so she made me learn so she'd always have a partner. Swing was my favorite, though I'm not terribly good at it.", Damen replied. A waitress came by and they ordered drinks, the conversation dying down into a comfortable silence for several minutes as they both watched the dancers jump and twirl across the floor. 

"If you had told me sooner we would be going swing dancing, I would have dusted off my zoot suit.", Laurent said. Damen couldn't discern whether the blonde was joking or not. 

"Keep it on hand for the next time, then." Laurent looked surprised at Damen's response, and stifled a small laugh. The next song was starting and dancers willed of the dance floor. Damen stood, holding his hand out to Laurent. 

"May I have this dance?", Damen asked, smiling at Laurent who took his hand and followed him to the dance floor. The music was upbeat and Damen fell into the rhythm easier than he expected. Laurent kept up move for move, the two of them swinging elegantly over the floor. They kicked their heels and twisted their hips, Damen twirling Laurent whenever he had the opening to do so. Laurent found himself surprised by how well Damen danced, and couldn't stop the grin that spread over his face. His hair whipped arounf his face as they danced, the hot lights splashing him in various colors. Damen almost tripped up a few times, the sight of Laurent was intensely distracting. Other patrons had stopped dancing and moved back slightly to watch the two as they moved, delighted by the display. The song neared the end and as they danced close, chest to chest, Damen said, "I'm going to flip you." Before Laurent could reply, Damen had spun him out so they could build up the momentum. Laurent had no basis to think Damen could flip him without one of them getting hurt aside from the muscles he sported, but he didn't hesitate. He knew the move well enough, and when he felt Damen's hand on his back tugging him up, he jumped. Damen's shoulder pushed into Laurent's chest as they twisted and the blonde swung his legs, the momentum flipping him over Damen's back and shoulder. He landed in a split, one arm up over his head where Damen's hand still grasped his forearm. There was a smattering of applause around them as Damen pulled Laurent up and they left the dance floor. 

Damen's chest heaved slightly as he caught his breath. "I expected you to stop me.", he said with a chuckle. 

"Me, too.", Laurent replied. "But I.. I didn't think about it."

"You should not think more often."

Laurent flushed slightly, hoping to god that the dim lighting in the club hid his face. It didn't, and Damen smiled when they sat down, reaching a hand over to push Laurent's hair back behind his ear. His hand rested on Laurent's cheek, and his pulse beat hard in his ears. They were so close, Damen thought. It wouldn't take much to pull Laurent into a kiss. And he started to, meeting Laurent's blue gaze briefly as he brought their faces closer. His eyes fixated on the blonde's lips, which were parted slightly, and he swallowed thickly in anticipation. They were so close.

The waitress came by with refills on their drinks and Laurent jumped back, scooting away and putting a few inches between them in the booth. Damen's face burned and he refused to meet the waitress's eyes as he thanked her.

 

The night had been pleasant. They had danced a few more times, all as spectacular feeling as the first. Laurent smiled much more during those few hours than he could remember smiling in the entire year. It was late when Damen drove Laurent home. He wanted to walk Laurent to his door, but the blonde refused. He didn't think he could keep himself from kissing Damen and dragging him inside if that happened. He said a curt goodbye through the rolled down window after he climbed out of the car. Damen smiled warmly at him. 

"I had fun, Laurent.", he said. "I'll see you after class on Monday."

"I expect nothing less.", Laurent said before walking up the path to his building. Damen watched to make sure he got inside, and then drove home himself, smiling happily the entire way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more thing! I've mentioned before that I'll be posting original works soon, too, and I wanted to let everyone know I'm considering starting up a Patreon for my writing, mostly a few novels I'm working on. If you like my writing, and my original stories when I post them, please let me know if supporting my Patreon is something you'd be interested in! I plan on having some cool exclusive content like Q&A livestreams or update videos, and rewards for high paying patrons like being able to request something to be written for them or maybe even having a character named after them in my novels! Things are still a little up in the air as I just started considering this seriously, so please, please let me know if you're interested in supporting me!


	4. Dance Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damen makes a move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Last chapter! When this is over, I'll be posting some original works until I get the bug for more fanfics! I'm so happy everyone stuck out this week with me, and I'm glad so many people have been enjoying this story! Eventually, I might add on to this AU because I honestly love ballet dancing Laurent so much?? If there's any AU or ship from another fandom anyone's interested in seeing, drop me a line and I'll consider it!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter guys!
> 
> P.S I'm so sorry the last chapter was so bad lmao

"You WHAT?!", Nik exclaimed, looking up at Damen from his laptop. Damen sat across from him, back pressed against the dorm wall and a knee bent across the bed. 

"We almost kissed.", he said flatly. Damen had been playing the moment over and over in his head in the days that followed. Nothing much had changed between him and Laurent, they still spent Laurent's rehearsal times together and would find themselves talking well past when they should have gone home. But the closeness was missing. Laurent kept his distance, pulling back the few times Damen reached to brush his fingers against the blonde's or turning away if Damen tried to touch his cheek affectionately. It had been two weeks since their date.

"What do you mean 'almost'?"

Damen groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. "We were.. so close. I was pulling him in, fully intent on kissing him. The waitress brought us refills, and Laurent jumped away. He hasn't let me touch him since."

"Sounds like you spooked him.", Nik chuckled. "I doubt an ice queen like that is used to kisses, Damen."

"Don't call him that."

"'You don't know him like I do.'", Nik mocked. He sighed, tossing a paper ball at Damen. "I told you this wasn't going to end well. How do you even know he actually likes you?"

"What could he possibly gain from stringing me along, Nik? When we went dancing, it was the only time we'd ever left the dance studio." Damen was entirely unhappy with this line of questioning. Nik leaned back in his chair and looked at Damen. 

"Maybe it's some kind of sick game to him? He's up to something, and you're just going to get hurt. Like you are now."

Damen stood up, snatching his bag from the floor. "I'm not hurt, Nik. I'm worried.", he said, frustrated.

 

When Damen arrived at the dance studio, Laurent was sitting in the corner, legs drawn to his chest and blue eyes staring through the window next to him. Damen cleared his throat as he walked in and dropped his bag next to the door.

"Laurent, is everything alright?", he asked.

Laurent turned to look at him smoothly, his face unreadable. "Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?"

Damen walked across the room and sat next to Laurent, ignoring how the blonde tensed beside him. "Something is wrong.", he insisted.

Laurent looked away, turning on the chair to plant his feet on the floor. "No.", he said, coldly. He stood and took a step towards the stereo, but Damen grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Laurent, talk to me. You've been distant and-"

"Don't touch me.", Laurent commanded, yanking his hand away from Damen's grip. He stepped away from Damen quickly, the silence unsettling and uncomfortable. Damen didn't know what to do. It hurt, he realized. It hurt to be pushed away like that, but he didn't want to just roll over and give up on Laurent. The chess game wasn't over, his king was still in play. 

He stood up and carefully made his way to Laurent, keeping a couple feet between them. "Laurent. Please, what did I do wrong?", he asked, gently. 

Several minutes passed before Laurent answered, as if he had carefully tailored his reply. "You did nothing wrong."

"how many times are we going to have this conversation, Laurent?"

Another silence. Damen waited patiently for Laurent to speak. "I don't enjoy admitting that I got... scared."

Damen opened his mouth to say something, but Laurent continued. "Intimacy is bizarre and strange for me. I have few experiences, none of them good. I can't... think when you get close to me like that."

Laurent looked down, finally turning around to face Damen, eyes rheumy despite his best efforts. Damen took a small step closer, his hand carefully reaching to grasp Laurent's. 

"Don't think.", he said quietly. He had a million things left he wanted to say, a million questions burning inside him. But he pushed them away and put his free hand on Laurent's cheek. The dancer sighed and leaned into the touch despite himself. 

"I don't know how to defend against you.", Laurent replied. He cast his eyes up to meet Damen's, his expression entirely open for the first time since they met. Damen pulled Laurent close and pressed a kiss to the blonde's lips. His skin felt electric, sparking everywhere he touched Laurent. His mind buzzed, and his pulse thrummed in his ears when Laurent pressed back, his hand gripping Damen's tightly. His fingers carded through fine blonde hair and his hand rested on the crux of Laurent's neck even as the kiss ended and they stood still, foreheads pressed together. 

"You don't need to.", Damen said, slowly peppering Laurent's cheeks and forehead with chaste kisses. Laurent smiled slightly and put his hand up to stop Damen. 

"I won't.", he said after a few moments. 

The chess game Damen had envisioned their flirting to be ground to a halt; two kings stood in the middle of the board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm trash, keep an eye out for a Drarry fic in the coming weeks. I'm trash and I am weak.


End file.
